


No Dry Eyes

by blumvale (sailorpipn)



Series: the one where Stiles is a Cop [6]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Future Fic, I Made Myself Cry, M/M, Parent Death, Trope Bingo Round 2, cop!Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-13
Updated: 2013-10-13
Packaged: 2017-12-29 07:36:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1002712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailorpipn/pseuds/blumvale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Choking on his words, Stiles croaked, “He’s- he’s my dad.” He hiccupped a couple times before continuing. “It’s not supposed to be like this. We suffered enough when mom was sick. He was supposed to just go peacefully in his sleep one night in another twenty years. He doesn’t deserve this pain… we don’t deserve this.” Stiles couldn’t keep the tears welling up in his eyes from spilling down his cheeks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Dry Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> for the major character death on my trope bingo card
> 
> all errors are mine
> 
> and I don't know anything about liver cancer, fyi

“I’m sorry,” Stiles mumbled as he squeezed Derek’s hand. “I’m sure you don’t really want to hear me blathering on…”

“Hey.” Derek used his free hand to guide Stiles’ face up so he could meet his husband’s eyes. “It doesn’t matter how old you are, losing a parent is never easy. Just because you’re an adult with a job and a family, who pays taxes and drives car pool… those things don’t make it hurt less. And I am here for you, no matter what. I love you.”

Choking on his words, Stiles croaked, “He’s- he’s my dad.” He hiccupped a couple times before continuing. “It’s not supposed to be like this. We suffered enough when mom was sick. He was supposed to just go peacefully in his sleep one night in another twenty years. He doesn’t deserve this pain… _we_ don’t deserve this.” Stiles couldn’t keep the tears welling up in his eyes from spilling down his cheeks. Shoving his face his Derek’s neck, he let out a sob of grief, and clutched at Derek’s leather jacket. Derek had rushed home from the coffeehouse when Stiles had called and told him they were out of time. He hadn’t even taken off his coat when he got home, just rushed upstairs to find his husband.

“I know, I know,” Derek soothed. He ran his hand through Stiles’ hair, rubbing his nails along Stiles’ scalp. Stiles always seemed to like the touch in the past and Derek wanted nothing more than to comfort the man he’d loved for more than twenty years. He thought Stiles was right; Papa Stilinski didn’t deserve the pain he was in.

After being exhausted and having constant pain on his left side for several days, Stiles nagged his father enough to get him to go to the doctor. Once there tests were ordered and all too soon the world ended. Liver Cancer. The years that David spent mourning Claudia at the bottom of a bottle had caught up to him.

“I’m an adult… a real adult,” Stiles’ voice was a little calmer then even as tears continued to flow. He sniffled once and wiped some snot on his sleeve. Looking at his jacket he made a face and tried to rub at the mark with his thumb. “I’m 44 and I’ve been a real adult since Selina was born…” he told his sleeve. “But right now I feel like the little boy who had to wait in Principle Beck’s office when I put glue on Jackson’s seat and ruined his Halloween costume. Dad left work early to come get me and when he did, I could tell he was angry but he sat down next to me and asked me why.”

Rubbing his hand up Stiles’ back, Derek asked, “Why?”

“Because Jackson ruined Scott’s costume first. He stepped in dog crap when we were all walking around the school block. And then smeared it on Scott because Scott laughed at him. I laughed too but I ran faster than Scott did.”

“Asthma, right.”

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded, still rubbing his sleeve. He let out a huff of a laugh at the memory. “He wasn’t happy with me, you know? But at the same time I think he was a little proud… standing up for my friend, even if I didn’t go about it the best way.” He looked up at Derek and gave him a tiny, watery smile. “And then, since he was already out of work, we went trick-or-treating. We were out for hours. So long that my feet hurt and I couldn’t walk anymore and then he carried me… He was so strong.”

“Your father is a good man, a strong man,” Derek confirmed, tears prickling at his own eyes and Stiles nodded. “He’s loved me like a son since we started dating. He loves Selina…”

Slowly Stiles admitted, “I’m not ready to let him go.”

Papa Stilinski had fought the good fight. He’d gone though several treatments before his doctors told him he had no more options. And he’d surpassed his initial death date by over a year. But with nothing left to do but wait, hospice had come in and set up a hospital bed in Stiles and Derek’s living room. They had welcomed him into their home instead of putting him into a hospice center. A nurse came a couple times a week to monitor his drugs; make sure his pain was manageable.

Kissing the top of Stiles’ head, Derek murmured, “I’m sorry,” into his husband’s hair.

They sat there for a while longer, taking comfort in each other. Every so often Stiles’ whole body would clench as he tried to stifle another sob and Derek would just hold him closer, whispering soothing words, until Stiles’ body relaxed again. When both men felt their legs start to go numb, they shifted on the bed, and released each other.

Pulling Stiles up from the bed, Derek said, “We should go sit with him.”

Wordlessly, Stiles nodded and headed to the door. He didn’t let go of Derek’s hand as they walked to Selina’s door. Stiles knocked once and their beautiful little girl opened her door. From the puffiness around her eyes, it was easy to see she’d been crying as well. “Come on, baby girl,” Derek held his other hand out to his fourteen-year-old. “We’re going downstairs.”

Once they were in the living room, Stiles smiled at Nikki, the nurse. She had a cup of tea in one hand and David’s hand in the other. Silently, she squeezed David’s hand one last time, stood, kissed both Stiles and Derek’s cheeks, and gave Selina a hug. Then she made her way to the kitchen to give the family privacy.

Taking Nikki’s place, Stiles sat down on the edge of the hospital bed and took his father’s hand in his own. Gently he rubbed at the marks that had been left by IVs and catheters. “Hey, dad…” His voice was strong, not betraying how his heart was breaking inside his chest.

Cracking open an eye, David smiled up at his son. “Hey there, kid,” he greeted, voice soft. Looking past his son, David saw Selina and his smile grew. “Munchkin, how you doin?”

“I’m good, poppy. Report cards came out today, straight A’s.”

“That’s my girl, such a good student.” Selina leaned over and placed a kiss on David’s forehead. “Love you, munchkin…” He closed his eyes and let out a tired sigh.

“Love you too, poppy.” Selina walked to the armchair at the foot of the bed and sat down. She leaned her head back on a pillow and clutched another one to her chest. She wasn’t down for more than a second before she had her thumb in her mouth and was nibbling on her nail.

“Don’t bite your nails, munchkin,” David reminded her, his eyes still closed.

Her own eyes wide, Selina quickly did as he said. “Sorry, poppy…” she mumbled.

Trying to stifle a laugh, Stiles looked at his father, his daughter, and then back to his father. “Awe man… I love you dad.”

“Love you too, kid… love you too, Derek.”

“Thanks, dad.” Derek hadn’t called David dad more than a handful of times since they’d met, even when the older man invited him to. The word had too much meaning. But right them, it meant how much Derek felt for his father-in-law.

As David’s breathing evened out and he fell into his final sleep, he whispered, “I love you, Stiles… love you all, my family.”

**Author's Note:**

> you can follow me on tumblr if you'd like http://blumvale.tumblr.com/


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